Q&A: Published Advice vs. Real-World Difficulties

In order to assess how real-world problems in the Q&A segments of international conference presentations are being addressed in English and Japanese self-help guides, the advice given in fifteen English and seven Japanese books were compared with actual difficulties identified in nine transcribed conference presentations. Results show that the English self-help guides virtually ignore the language difficulties encountered by non-native speakers. The Japanese self-help guides, on the other hand, almost completely ignore strategies for a successful Q&A session, instead focusing on set phrases and sentences that appear to have limited value in real-world settings. Recommendations for more appropriate instructions are then provided